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2009 Annual Report Houston Audubon Society
2009 Annual Report Houston Audubon Society
H
ouston Audubon had a great year despite the year, partnerships with state and federal agencies, other
devastating effects of Hurricane Ike to coastal and conservation organizations, and grassroots groups led to
inland communities and wildlife habitat. Scores the protection of thousands of acres of critical bird habitat in
of volunteers made the journey to our coastal sanctuaries Texas. Houston Audubon’s Land Rescue Fund, created to assist
to remove tons of debris scattered by the storm. New in habitat protection, played a key role in the organization’s
partnerships were formed with non-traditional allies during conservation success.
clean-up, and Houston Audubon wishes to express its Environmental Education and Outreach: Houston Audubon’s
heartfelt thanks to all who volunteered their valuable time, education department didn’t let Hurricane Ike deter it from
expertise, and equipment. presenting outstanding environmental education programs
During the last four years, Houston Audubon properties to nearly 22,000 children and adults last year. Some, but not
have suffered tremendously from three hurricanes—Rita, nearly all, of the exciting outreach programs offered were:
Humberto, and Ike. The organization’s sanctuaries are vitally “Swift Night Out” Chimney Swift bird counts, Family Nature
important nesting, feeding, and roosting areas for resident Explore field trips, and Bayou Buddies preschool education
and migrating birds. classes. Of course, the education birds, too, logged hundreds
of hours in school, church, and civic performances!
Houston Audubon accomplishes its mission to promote the
conservation and appreciation of birds and wildlife habitat Conservation Advocacy: Houston Audubon has been and
in three important ways: land conservation and restoration, continues to be a strong voice for environmental issues and
environmental education and outreach, and conservation accountability. Important issues advocated for this year
advocacy. The organization enjoyed much success in its include, but are not limited to: wind farm siting guidelines,
land conservation and advocacy efforts, and environmental Upper Texas Coast sustainability plan, Neotropical Migratory
education and outreach activities. Birds Conservation Act, mitigating impacts to birds due to
climate change, communication towers, and house cats.
Land Conservation and Restoration: Houston Audubon
owns and manages nearly 3,400 acres of vital bird and The organization has accomplished much more than can be
wildlife habitat, and actively pursues unique opportunities summarized in this brief introduction, and we invite you to
to protect additional lands through partnerships. Last review our annual report to discover the breadth of Houston
Audubon’s powerful purpose and influence.
Houston Audubon is truly grateful to each of you for your
support, and we hope you’ll continue partnering with us in
protecting birds and their habitat for future generations.
Partners in Conservation
Columbia Bottomlands
Houston Audubon partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to acquire a 28-acre addition
to the Bird Pond Unit of San Bernard NWR using Great Texas Birding
Classic prize money and matching funds from the Houston Audubon
Land Rescue Fund. The pond at Bird Pond Unit covers approximately
80% of the 100-acre tract. Acquiring this property will provide a buffer
zone around this important wetland and will allow for a nature trail. The
Bird Pond Unit is an important breeding and overwintering component
of the Columbia Bottomlands. Bird Pond is a site with extensive
populations of wintering waterfowl that include Priority Species from
the Texas Wildlife Action Plan, including Mottled Duck, Northern Pintail,
Swainson’s Warbler, Acadian Flycatcher, and many others.
Welder Flats
Bird Pond Unit, San Bernard NWR
Houston Audubon partnered with The Nature Conservancy and Travis
Audubon to protect 2,035 acres of Whooping Crane habitat through the
acquisition of a conservation easement at Welder Flats.
Evia Island
Houston Audubon is responsible for management of this
productive nesting island in Galveston Bay in partnership with
the Port of Houston, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service (USFWS), Texas Parks & Wildlife, Audubon Texas,
and NOAA. In late May we conducted an inspection to count
the birds nesting on the island and to formulate a plan to restore
nesting habitat lost to Hurricane Ike. Most of the vegetation
had been washed off the island, the rock rip rap was moved,
and the island was covered with debris. Despite these changes,
we were pleasantly surprised to find birds nesting everywhere.
We found herons nesting in the rocks and in televisions. Their
determination to nest on the island shows how important that
location is to them. We plan to clean up the debris in the winter Tricolored Heron nesting in a television, Evia Island, spring 2009
of 2009/2010.
Coastal Prairie Partnership Brays Bayou Pocket Prairie, created with some of the rescued plants
Bird Monitoring
Breeding Bird Surveys: Smith Oaks Rookery, North Deer
Island, and Evia Island.
Monthly Surveys: Bolivar Flats, Armand Bayou Nature
Center, W. 11th St. Park, and Willow Waterhole.
Swifts Over Houston: Houston Audubon created this
initiative to count Chimney Swifts and educate the public
Photo: Ben Hulsey
www.houstonaudubon.org 3
Sanctuaries
San Jacinto
B
Cleveland
olivar Flats is an exceptionally productive 1,146-acre complex of
Trinity
45
59
mud flats, marsh, uplands, and Gulf Beach front. The sanctuary
provides resting, feeding, and/or breeding sites for hundreds of
Liberty thousands of birds each year. Bolivar Flats’ special importance to 25
species of shorebirds prompted its designation as a “Site of International
Harris
Edith L. Moore
8
Winnie Importance” by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.
Nature Sanctuary
Houston
10
Jefferson
124 Hurricane Ike made a significant impact on the Bolivar Flats Shorebird
10 Chambers
Sims Bayou
High Island
Sanctuary, destroying fences and the vehicular barrier. However,
Urban Nature Boy Scout Woods
Center over 200 ft of beach and dunes were pushed into the back dunes
and Smith Oaks
wetlands, creating ideal bare sand habitat for Least Terns who had an
59 6 87 Mundy Marsh Bird Sanctuary
Galveston exceptionally productive nesting season using this new habitat. Varied
Bolivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary
Alvin
45
Horseshoe Marsh Bird Sanctuary interesting debris was left on the beach and was cleaned up over the
Carolyn Raizes Davis Galveston course of three volunteer work days. The vehicular barrier and some of
Bird Sanctuary North Deer Island Bird Sanctuary the fences have been rebuilt, and birders continue to report sightings
Brazoria that demonstrate the importance of this incredibly diverse habitat.
288
Dos Vacas Muertas Bird Sanctuary
Br
az Partners: BP, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory
os
High Island
Spotlight on Recovery
The Bolivar Peninsula after Hurricane Ike
Houston Audubon provides exemplary environmental education On the Road with the Education Team
programs that instruct on the critical needs of native birds and
wildlife. The programs offer unique educational experiences that
foster a love of birds and birding. Over the past fiscal year, 500
programs were attended by over 20,000 participants.
T he Audubon Education Staff travel great distances to spread
the organizational message. We are fortunate to have a loyal
following that requests our programs each year. Four times a year
we head to Camp Allen in Navasota to give presentations at family
camps, pastoral conferences, and the annual Joni and Friends camp
Education Animals for disabled persons. We also give talks and host a booth at the
annual Texas Forest Expo in Conroe. Each summer we travel to Port
H ouston Audubon
is fortunate to
have an amazing array
Arthur to talk about birds to the Envirokids Camp at the Museum
of the Gulf Coast. This is a camp for underprivileged youth in Port
Arthur.
of education wildlife
This past year we also expanded our “Swifts Over Houston” initiative.
that helps bring the
Partnering with the Nature Discovery Center and local members
educational programs
and volunteers, we engaged the public with our swift counts and
to life every day of the
presentations from spring through fall. Our programs are hugely
year. Our education
popular with the local AARP chapters, garden clubs, women’s clubs,
animals are either
and church groups. Keeping our programming fresh and new is a
non-releasable due to
challenge, but it is one we are happy to face.
injuries sustained in
the wild or they were During the winter of 2008 a new idea was hatched at one of
donated by someone our quarterly meetings with Houston Wilderness. After much
who could no longer One of our education raptors is brainstorming, “Nature Challenge 2009” was launched. The event
care for them. Rio, a Swainson’s Hawk gave families 8 weeks to race around southeast Texas completing
missions at nature centers, wildlife refuges, state forests and parks,
Support of our adoption
and recreational areas. Sims Bayou Urban Nature Center created
program ensures high quality housing, food, veterinary care, and
a unique mission that each family had to complete before they
training for all of our animals.
received their mission stamp.
www.houstonaudubon.org 7
Education and Outreach
Volunteers
HOUSTON AUDUBON Over 600 volunteers worked over 15,000 hours on Houston Audubon
projects during the past fiscal year.
Address: 440 Wilchester Blvd.
Houston, TX 77079
Telephone 713-932-1639 Hurricane Ike Cleanup Volunteers:
FAX 713-461-2911 Laura Singleton Exceptional Volunteer Award Co-Winners
E-mail info@houstonaudubon.org
Education Department
Address: 3997 River Drive This year’s winners of the Laura Singleton
Telephone: 713-640-2407 Outstanding Volunteer Award are the
Hurricane Ike Cleanup Volunteers.
www.houstonaudubon.org • They cleaned up Edith L Moore where
www.narba.org there was tree debris on the trails.
• They picked up debris and cleared
trails at Sims Bayou Urban Nature
Center.
• They helped get debris out of Dos
Vacas Muertas on Galveston Island.
• They picked up the inventory of a
store scattered through Horseshoe
Marsh and planted grass and
wildflower seeds where the vegetation
was dead. Volunteers Don Verser and Aaron Stoley clear the
Rummel Creek bridge at Edith Moore Sanctuary.
• They picked up TONS of boards and
plastic at Bolivar Flats.
Ike really made a mess of Houston Audubon’s
Kentucky Warbler at High Island
• They cleared trails, made huge burn Sanctuaries, but our volunteers came to the
April 6, 2009 piles, pulled privet and planted trees rescue. Over one hundred volunteers have spent
Photo: Greg Lavaty and shrubs at High Island. more then 2,500 hours cleaning up storm debris.
www.houstonaudubon.org 9
About Houston Audubon
Houston Audubon is one of the largest and most active chapters
of the National Audubon Society. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3)
organization and are supported by member dues and donations
from individuals, foundations and corporations. Contributions
made to us remain with the organization and support our activities.
We receive limited funding from National Audubon Society and no
funds from the city or state government. Our mission is to promote
the conservation and appreciation of birds and wildlife habitat.
Fiscal Year July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009 Fiscal Year July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008
SUPPORT AND REVENUE SUPPORT AND REVENUE
Individual Contributions $ 270,080 Individual Contributions $ 354,677
Foundation, Trust, and Agency Contributions $ 195,610 Foundation, Trust, and Agency Contributions $ 731,397
Fundraising Events $ 85,349 Fundraising Events $ 82,077
Memberships $ 54,818 Memberships $ 59,873
Corporate Contributions $ 44,339 Corporate Contributions $ 18,777
High Island Patch Sales and Admissions $ 43,091 High Island Patch Sales and Admissions $ 65,801
Education Programs $ 39,003 Education Programs $ 54,718
Merchandise Sales $ 26,105 Merchandise Sales $ 38,588
Environmental Service Fees $ 24,263 Environmental Service Fees $ 26,485
Loss on Destruction of Property (Hurricane Ike) $ (18,579)
Investment Revenue (includes interest, dividends, $ (135,287) Investment Revenue (includes interest, dividends, $ ( 88,264)
realized & unrealized gain on investments) realized & unrealized gain on investments)
Total Support and Revenue $ 628,792 Total Support and Revenue $ 1,344,129
EXPENSES EXPENSES
Program Services Program Services
Sanctuaries $ 360,350 Sanctuaries $ 506,016
Education, Membership, and Outreach $ 293,692 Education, Membership, and Outreach $ 271,913
Advocacy inluding Contributions to Other Nonprofits $ 134,732 Advocacy including Contributions to Other Nonprofits $ 198,344
Cost of Merchandise Sold $ 19,733 Cost of Merchandise Sold $ 24,259
$ 808,507 $ 1,000,532
Supporting Services Supporting Services
Management and General $ 141,453 Management and General $ 168,500
Fundraising $ 133,786 Fundraising $ 85,505
$ 275,239 $ 254,005
Total Expenses $ 1,083,746 Total Expenses $ 1,254,537